of theso-calledfiscalcliff, buthow about thedairycliff? milkpricescoulddoublenextyearbecause a national farm bill expires on january 1st. if lawmakers do not extend that bill it, reverts to 1949 law when the government and not the market controlled prices. because of antiquated formulas used to set the price, a gallon of milk which now costs close to $4 in most places could jump to 6 or possibly even $8. >> it's the most important ingredient we use. if prices go up, it definitely affects our business. we're definitely concerned and we keep our eyes on the market. >> but some experts are downplaying the dairy cliff, saying the agriculture department will stall until congress moves to keep prices down. the farm bill provides disaster relief for farmers. >>> gay couples are now allowed to marry in the state of maine. [ applause ] >> this is video of the first gay couple to wed in portland, main. the two exchanged vows in the city clerk's office just after midnight when the new law took effect. voters in maine, washington state, and maryland approved gay marriage in november. gay

agree to it but it's all tied up inthefiscalcliffmess.tax filing seasonstartsnextweekbut the irs would put a hold on that for some. officials would wait for a deal in the new year instead of doing serious reprogramming to their tax system. filing would then be pushed back to march for millions. with refunds coming much later than usual. especially for those who plan on paying off credit card bills that often pile up after the holidays. now all of this could be avoided a deal before the deadline monday night but some long time lawmakers fear it won't happen, more on that when i see you next. live in washington. >> oil prices started edging up arch the president announced he would return from vacation early so he could work on fiscal cliff negotiations. crude oil sells for almost $91 a barrel up nearly two dollars a barrel. it's expected to increase as hope rises that a budget deal can be reached before the deadline and that could keep the economy growing while no agreement may put the united states back into recession. >> several states are under blizzard warning thi

concerns. >> just the uncertainty,thefiscalcliffandhow things are gonna pan out fromthesenextfewmonths. >> the increase on sales tax from prop 30 will last for four years. the god news for consumers, the sales increase does not apply to gas. >>> 8:24. let's go to tara right now. we have some problems on caltrain. what's going on? >> that's right. on the southbound 322 train we had an emergency break near brisbane due to signal problems. we'll keep you posted on whether it causes more widespread delays. 101 looking good. we do want to mention that muni, vta, caltrain and sam transare all offering free rides tonight. so be aware of it. b.a.r.t. also offering extended service. up next, the bay bridge, your commute into san francisco, a nice one. no delays at all. the metering lights never went on. 101 near san jose, northbound as you make your way to the air looking good. here's steve. >>> all right, tara. thank you very much. cold this morning. 20s, upper 20s -- 20ss, some 30s. that system coming in is losing a lot of its punch. 30s, livermore airport has just gotten a little bit

. >> if president obama and congress aren't able to avoidthefiscalcliffpeoplehere in california will be hit especially hard because of prop 30 which was voted into law back in november. it will soon mean higher sales tax and higher income tax on the state's top earners. the fiscal cliff would add to that hitting all americans with higher taxes. >> i don't know, there's a word to describe how upset the public is going to be. nobody's going to be happy to see that happen. >> if taxes go up on everybody it's not going to be a happy time. but i think that's inevitably what's going to happen. >> they say the lowest income folks will see their take home pay shrink just over three and a half%. average earners 4% and top earners 6%. >> another sign the housing market is improving, the national association of realtors says pending home sales rose last month to the highest level in 2 and a half years. pending sales rose nearly 2% in november and that's the third month in a row it's gone up. >> amazon had a green christmas season. they announced the 2012 holiday sales were the biggest ever. they had s